Gaylord gals edge Chiefs

April 30, 2001|By DOMINICK MILLER

GAYLORD - This is what battles between two of the top teams in the Big North Conference are all about. The Gaylord Blue Devils and Cheboygan Chiefs hooked up for 21 innings of sterling softball in two games, with the Blue Devils beating the Chiefs 2-1 in the first game. The second game was stopped in the 10th inning due to darkness with score tied 1-1.

The win moves Gaylord up 4-1 in the conference, while Cheboygan drops to 3-2. The tie goes in the books as a suspended game, and will be resumed if the conference championship depends on it.

IN GAME ONE, junior outfielder Kyle Nutter came through with a clutch single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th to get the victory. The inning started with Ashley Strahota getting a single. Sarah Hanis came up next and laid down a perfect bunt. She was able to beat the throw, and two runners were on.

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Annie Smith came up next with the same intention of laying down a sacrifice bunt. Like Hanis, Smith beat the throw and the bases were loaded for Nutter, who came through with the big hit.

Gaylord scored its only other run in the fourth inning. Amy Williams started the inning with a single. After an out, Callie Edens came to the plate and got a hold of the ball, hitting a shot that was fair by only a foot. She legged out a double, and Williams came around for run.

"We had 11 hits for the game, but we were not able to string any together," said elated GHS coach Tom Barbieri. "We could have taken the lead earlier if we could have put a couple of hits together."

The offense would not need much more with the way that junior pitcher Ashley Yarrington was going. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched all 11 innings, facing 36 batters. She gave up only one run on two hits. The run was unearned. She also struck out seven and walked one.

The leading hitter for the Devils was Edens. She was 3-5, getting two singles in addition to the double and the RBI. Nutter was 2-3, including the game-winning RBI. Yarrington was 2-4, getting two singles and a walk.

IN GAME TWO, Yarrington got the start and pitched the entire game again. She faced 36 batters, giving up one run on five hits. She struck out eight and had no walks. In the two games combined, she faced 72 batters and gave up only one earned run and seven hits, while striking out 15 and walking one.

Not bad for one night's work.

Williams reached base on a base hit in the sixth inning. Edens knocked her in with one of her two doubles in the game. Hanis went 3-4 and Yarrington added a hit.

"Our intensity was very high tonight. With Ashley pitching as well as she was, it pumped our defense up as well. They wanted to play well behind her. Ashley was really in the zone tonight. She has never pitched more than a game at a time, and she pitched great tonight. I think she was going on pure adrenalin." Barbieri commented.

"I want to thank the parents of some of the players. After the rain delay, they pitched in and helped to get the field ready for us to play again." Barbieri added.

The Devils next play Monday against non-conference foe Grayling. After that, they travel to Alpena to face the tough Wildcats.